Chairman Tadashi Yanai said in BBC interview published this week that Uniqlo doesn’t source cotton from that region of China’s far west, where the US has restricted trade.

Uniqlo is facing an online backlash in China after the boss of its parent company said the Japanese clothing retailer does not source cotton from Xinjiang. Fast Retailing's chief executive Tadashi Yanai said Uniqlo was "not using" cotton from the western Chinese province in a BBC interview this week.

A Chinese government spokesperson took a softer stance on the hot-button issue, and said businesses that source and manufacture in China "should not be swayed by political pressure."